Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Low Cost Trigger Sprayer With Double Valve Element
Background of the Invention
(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to a low cost construction of a hand held and
hand operated liquid sprayer typically called a trigger sprayer. In
particular, the
present invention pertains to a double valve element that is employed in the
trigger
sprayer construction in lieu of two separate valve elements typically employed
in prior
art trigger sprayer constructions. The double valve element reduces the number
of
component parts of the trigger sprayer and thereby reduces its cost of
manufacturing.
(2) Description of the Related Art
Hand held and hand operated liquid sprayers commonly known as trigger
sprayers are well known in the liquid sprayer art. Trigger sprayers are
commonly
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used to dispense household cleaning or cooking liquids in a stream, spray
pattern or
as a foam. A trigger sprayer is typically connected to a plastic bottle
containing the
liquid dispensed by the trigger sprayer.
A typical trigger sprayer is comprised of a sprayer housing that is connected
to a neck of the liquid containing bottle by either a threaded connection or a
bayonet-
type connection. The sprayer housing is formed with a pump chamber, a vent
chamber, a liquid discharge passage communicating the pump chamber with an
outlet orifice of the trigger sprayer and a liquid supply passage
communicating the
pump with a dip tube that extends into the liquid of the bottle when the
trigger sprayer
housing is attached to the bottleneck.
A pump piston is mounted in the pump chamber for reciprocating movements
of the pump piston between charge and discharge positions relative to the pump
chamber. A vent piston is often connected to the pump piston and is mounted in
the
vent chamber for reciprocating movements of the vent piston between a closed
venting position and an open venting position of the vent piston relative to
the vent
chamber. In the open venting position of the vent piston the interior of the
bottle is
vented to the exterior environment of the trigger sprayer. In the closed
position of the
vent piston the vent chamber is sealed and thereby the interior of the bottle
is sealed
from the exterior environment of the trigger sprayer. A spring is usually
provided in
the sprayer housing pump chamber for biasing the pump piston and the vent
piston
toward their respective charge and closed positions.
A trigger is mounted on the sprayer housing by a pivot connection at one end
of the trigger. The trigger is also connected to the pump piston and the vent
piston.
Repeating the sequence of manually squeezing the trigger toward the sprayer
housing against the bias of the pump chamber spring, and then releasing the
trigger
oscillates the trigger about its pivot connection and reciprocates the pump
piston
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between its charge and discharge positions relative to the pump chamber as
well as
reciprocates the vent piston between its closed and open positions relative to
the
vent chamber.
A pair of check valves or one-way valves are assembled in the sprayer
housing. One of the check valves, often comprised of a ball valve and a ball
valve
seat, is provided in the sprayer housing between the pump chamber and the
liquid
supply passage. This ball valve controls the flow of liquid from the dip tube
and
through the supply passage to the pump chamber and prevents the reverse flow
of
liquid from the pump chamber to the dip tube. The second check valve, also
often
comprised of a ball valve and a ball valve seat, is positioned between the
pump
chamber and the liquid discharge passage and controls the flow of liquid from
the
pump chamber to the liquid discharge passage and prevents the reverse flow of
liquid from the liquid discharge passage to the pump chamber.
A nozzle assembly having a discharge orifice is assembled to the sprayer
housing at the outlet of the liquid discharge passage. The liquid discharge
passage
usually contains a liquid spinner assembly. The spinner assembly has a liquid
spinner head at one end adjacent the nozzle orifice.
From the manual oscillating movement of the trigger that reciprocates the
pump piston in the pump chamber, the liquid is drawn from the bottle through
the dip
tube past the first check valve to the pump chamber. The liquid is then pumped
from
the pump chamber through the liquid discharge passage and the second check
valve
to the liquid spinner and the discharge orifice and is dispensed from the
trigger
sprayer.
The typical trigger sprayer described above has several separate component
parts that all contribute to the overall cost of manufacturing the trigger
sprayer.
Because the typical trigger sprayer is manufactured and sold in very large
volumes,
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even the slightest reduction in the manufacturing cost of the trigger sprayer
can result
in significant overall reductions in the cost of manufacturing of trigger
sprayers.
Thus, it is desirable to reduce the number of separate component parts of the
trigger
sprayer to reduce its manufacturing costs
Summary of the Invention
The low cost trigger sprayer of the present invention reduces manufacturing
costs by reducing the number of separate component parts that are assembled
into
the trigger sprayer. More specifically, the low cost trigger sprayer of the
invention is
constructed with a double valve member, replacing the two separate check
valves of
the prior art trigger sprayer with a single member that performs the functions
of the
two prior art check files.
The trigger sprayer has a sprayer housing that is similar to the sprayer
housings of prior art trigger sprayers in that it comprises a pump chamber, a
vent
chamber, a liquid discharge passage and a liquid supply passage. The sprayer
housing also has an integral connector cap that attaches the trigger sprayer
to a
separate bottle containing a liquid to be dispensed by the trigger sprayer.
However,
the sprayer housing differs from prior art sprayer housings in that a portion
of the
liquid discharge passage and a portion of the liquid supply passage are formed
as a
single continuous passage that extends vertically upwardly through the sprayer
housing from the bottom of the housing. The top of the continuous vertical
passage
communicates with the remainder of the liquid discharge passage that extends
to the
liquid spinner in the sprayer housing.
A nozzle cap is attached to the sprayer housing adjacent the liquid spinner.
The nozzle cap has a discharge orifice position adjacent the liquid spinner
that
discharges the liquid pumped from the bottle by the trigger sprayer.
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The pump chamber communicates with the continuous passage through both
an inlet passage and an outlet passage. The inlet passage and the outlet
passage
are spaced from each other along the continuous passage of the sprayer
housing.
The vent chamber also communicates with the continuous passage of the sprayer
housing through a vent passage that communicates the vent chamber with the
continuous passage.
The single valve member is inserted into the continuous passage of the
sprayer housing and is positioned in the continuous passage between the pump
chamber inlet passage and the pump chamber outlet passage. The single valve
member has a cylindrical base that seats in the continuous passage of the
sprayer
housing between the pump chamber inlet passage and the pump chamber outlet
passage and divides the continuous passage of the sprayer housing into the
liquid
discharge passage on one side of the valve member base and the liquid supply
passage on the other side of the valve member base. A resilient sleeve or tube
valve
projects upwardly from the valve member base and engages against the interior
surface of the liquid discharge passage covering over the pump chamber outlet
passage. Thus, the resilient tube valve functions as the check valve in the
liquid
discharge passage that allows liquid flow from the pump chamber to the liquid
discharge passage but prevents the reverse flow of liquid.
A stem projects downwardly from the center of the valve base and a resilient
disk valve is provided on the distal end of the stem. The length of the stem
positions
the disk valve below the pump chamber inlet passage in the liquid supply
passage.
A cylindrical valve seat insert is inserted into the liquid supply passage
below
the disk valve. The valve seat insert has an annular peripheral surface that
seats
against a portion of the disk valve adjacent its peripheral surface. An
interior bore
extends through the valve seat insert and defines a portion of the liquid
supply
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passage. The dip tube is inserted into the valve seat interior bore at the
bottom of
the valve seat. Thus, the disk valve seating against the annular peripheral
surface of
the valve seat insert functions as the check valve that allows liquid flow
through the
dip tube and the liquid supply passage to the pump chamber, but prevents the
reverse flow of liquid.
A manual trigger is attached to the exterior of the sprayer housing and is
operatively connected to the pump piston and vent piston to cause the pistons
to
reciprocate through their respective pump chamber and vent chamber on manual
manipulation of the trigger. The trigger has a pair of integral spring arms
that bias
the trigger away from the sprayer housing. The spring arms eliminate the need
for a
separate coil spring in the sprayer housing. The reciprocation of the pump
piston
between charge and discharge positions of the pump piston in the pump chamber
draws liquid through the dip tube and unseats the disk valve allowing the
liquid to be
drawn through the liquid supply passage and the pump chamber inlet passage
into
the pump chamber. Reciprocation of the pump piston also forces the liquid from
the
pump chamber through the pump chamber outlet passage displacing the resilient
tube valve from its engagement with the interior surface of the liquid
discharge
passage and pumping the liquid through the liquid discharge passage past the
liquid
spinner and out through the discharge orifice of the sprayer.
The construction of the trigger sprayer described above with the single valve
element having both a disk valve to control the liquid drawn into the pump
chamber
and a tube valve to control the discharge of the liquid from the pump chamber
reduces the component parts of prior art trigger sprayers by providing a
single valve
member with two valve elements. The integral spring arms of the trigger also
eliminates the separate spring of the prior art trigger sprayer. The reduction
in the
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number of component parts that go into the assembly of the trigger sprayer
reduces
its manufacturing costs.
Description of the Drawings
Further features of the invention are set forth in the following detailed
description of the preferred embodiment of the invention and in the drawing
figures
wherein:
Figure 1 is a front elevation view of the trigger sprayer of the invention;
Figure 2 is a side sectioned view of the trigger sprayer of the invention
along
the line 2-2 of Figure 1;
Figure 3 is a perspective view of the disassembled component parts of the
trigger sprayer;
Figure 4 is an enlarged perspective view of the valve member of the trigger
sprayer; and
Figure 5 is an enlarged perspective view of the valve seat insert of the
trigger
sprayer.
Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment
Figure 3 shows the disassembled eight component parts of the trigger
sprayer 12 that include the sprayer housing 14, the trigger 16, the discharge
nozzle
18, the sprayer shroud 22, the pump piston and vent piston assembly 24, the
valve
member 26, the valve seat insert 28 and the dip tube 32. Each of the eight
component parts is constructed of a resilient plastic material, as is typical.
However,
the material employed in constructing the valve member 26 is more resilient
and
flexible than that of the other component parts of the trigger sprayer.
Referring to Figures 1, 2 and 3, the sprayer housing 14 is constructed with a
connector cap 34 that is an integral part of the sprayer housing. The
connector cap
34 has a bayonet-type connector on its interior. However, other types of
fasteners
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could be used, for example screw threading. In addition, the connector cap 34
could
be a separate component part that is mounted on the sprayer housing 14 for
rotation
of the cap relative to the sprayer housing. However, in the preferred
embodiment the
connector cap 34 is an integral part of the sprayer housing 14 to reduce the
number
of separate component parts of the trigger sprayer.
The interior of the sprayer housing 14 is formed with a cylindrical vent
chamber 36, a cylindrical pump chamber 38, a liquid supply passage with a
cylindrical interior surface 42 and a liquid discharge passage that is
comprised of a
first, vertical section with a cylindrical interior surface 47 and a second
horizontal
section 48. The liquid supply passage 42 extends from an inlet opening in the
sprayer housing to the pump chamber 38 and the liquid discharge passage 46, 48
extends from the pump chamber 38 to an outlet opening in the sprayer housing.
A
liquid spinner assembly 52 is provided at the outlet opening of the discharge
passage
second section 48. The construction of the spinner assembly 52, the discharge
passage second section 48, the pump chamber 38 and vent chamber 36 are similar
to those of prior art trigger sprayers. However, the supply passage 42 and the
discharge passage first section 46 have a novel construction where together
they
comprise a single, common continuous passage that extends through the interior
of
the sprayer housing 14 from the connector cap 34 at the bottom of the sprayer
housing to the discharge passage second section 48 at the top of the sprayer
housing.
The continuous passage formed by the liquid supply passage 42 and the first
section of the liquid discharge passage 46 communicates with the interior of
the
pump chamber 38 through a pump chamber inlet passage 56 and a pump chamber
outlet passage 58. An annular shoulder surface 62 is formed in the continuous
passage separating the supply passage interior surface 42 from the interior
surface
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of the discharge passage first section 46. The annular surface 62 is
positioned
between the pump chamber inlet passage 56 and the pump chamber outlet passage
58. The continuous passage also communicates with the interior of the vent
chamber 36 through a vent passage 64. The discharge passage first section 46
has
a larger interior diameter portion 72 adjacent the pump chamber outlet passage
58
and a smaller interior diameter portion 74 adjacent the discharge passage
second
section 48.
The exterior surface of the sprayer housing 14 is provided with a flat top
surface 82 for receiving the shroud 22. A pair of hooked channels 84 are also
provided on the exterior of the sprayer housing 14 for mounting the shroud 22
on the
housing. A pair of flanges 86 project downwardly from the opposite side of the
sprayer housing adjacent its top surface 82. Each of the flanges 86 has a hole
88 for
mounting the trigger 16 to the sprayer housing. A pair of ledges extend along
the
opposite sides of the exterior surface of the sprayer housing 14 just below
the
housing top surface 82. The housing has a cylindrical collar 94 that surrounds
the
outlet of the discharge passage second section 48. The collar 94 has a
radially
outwardly projecting rim 96 that receives the discharge nozzle 18.
The piston assembly 24 is comprised of a pump piston 102 and a vent piston
104 that are formed together as one integral piece. The pump piston 102 is
mounted
in the pump chamber 38 for reciprocating movements between charge and
discharge
positions of the pump piston relative to the pump chamber. The vent piston 104
is
mounted in the vent chamber 36 for reciprocating movements between closed and
opened positions of the vent piston 104 relative to the vent chamber 36. The
functioning of the pump piston 102 to pump liquid through the sprayer housing
14 is
known in the art and will not be explained in detail. Additionally, the
functioning of
the vent piston 104 to vent the interior of a container attached to the
sprayer housing
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14 is fcnown in the art and will not be explained in detail. The piston
assembly 24 is
connected to the trigger 16 for reciprocating movement of the piston assembly
in
response to pivoting movement of the trigger. The piston assembly 24 is
clipped to
the trigger 16 so that the piston assembly is pushed into the pump and vent
chambers 38, 36 and pulled out of the pump and vent chambers in response to
the
pivoting movement of the trigger 16 relative to the sprayer housing 14.
The trigger 16 has a pair of pivot pins 106 at the top of the trigger. The
pins
106 are assembled to the sprayer housing 14 by pinching the pins toward each
other
and inserting the pins behind the sprayer housing flanges 86 until the pins
line up
with the flange holes 88. The resilience of the material of the trigger 16
causes the
pins 106 to be biased outwardly into the flange holes 88 mounting the trigger
16 for
pivoting movement on the housing 14. In addition, the trigger has a pair of
spring
arms 108 that project outwardly from the pivot pins 106. The spring arms 108
engage beneath the housing ledges 92 on the opposite sides of the sprayer
housing
14 when the trigger 16 is mounted to the sprayer housing. The resiliency of
the
material employed in constructing the trigger 16 enables the spring arms 108
to
function as springs. The spring arms 108 are bent as the trigger is moved
manually
toward the sprayer housing 14 to move the pump piston to its discharge
position in
the pump chamber, and the resilience of the spring arms 108 causes the trigger
16 to
pivot away from the sprayer housing 14 and move the pump piston to its charge
position in the pump chamber.
The discharge nozzle 18 has a cylindrical sleeve 112 with an annular rim 114
on the interior surface of the sleeve. The discharge nozzle 18 is press fit on
the
cylindrical collar 94 of the sprayer housing by pressing the cylindrical
sleeve 112 over
the collar 94 until the annular rim 114 on the sleeve interior surFace passes
over the
annular rim 96 on the collar exterior surface. This snap fit connection of the
to
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discharge nozzle 18 to the sprayer housing 14 enables the discharge nozzle to
rotate
relative to the sprayer housing. The discharge nozzle 18 is provided with
interior
axial grooves that align with and come out of alignment with axial grooves
provided
on the spinner assembly 52, as is known in the art. This enables the discharge
nozzle 18 to be selectively moved between an "off' position, a "spray"
position and a
"stream" position as is known in the prior art.
The shroud 22 is provided with an exterior surface 118 that is designed to
give the trigger sprayer 12 an aesthetically pleasing appearance when the
shroud is
attached to the sprayer housing 14. The interior surface of the shroud is
provided
with a pair of j-shaped channels 122 that engage with the hooked channels 84
of the
sprayer housing as the shroud is pressed forwardly onto the sprayer housing
from
the rear of the sprayer housing. The engagement of the shroud interior surface
on
the sprayer housing top surface 82 and the engagement of the shroud j-channels
122
in the sprayer housing hooked channels 84 securely holds the shroud 22 to the
exterior of the sprayer housing 14.
As stated earlier, the valve member 26 is constructed of a resilient plastic
material that is slightly more flexible than the remaining component parts of
the
trigger sprayer 12. Referring to Figure 4, the valve member is constructed
with a
cylindrical base 124 that has a large exterior diameter portion 126 and a
small
exterior diameter portion 128. An outlet valve element in the form of a
resilient
hollow tube or sleeve valve 132 projects outwardly from the small exterior
diameter
portion 128 of the valve member base 124. The tube valve 132 has an exterior
surface diameter dimension that is smaller than the interior diameter
dimension of the
large interior diameter portion 72 of the discharge passage and is slightly
larger than
the interior diameter dimension of the small interior diameter portion 74 of
the
discharge passage. A valve stem 134 projects outwardly from the large exterior
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diameter portion 126 of the valve member. An inlet valve element in the form
of a
disk valve 136 is provided on the distal end of the stem 134.
The valve member 26 is assembled into the continuous passage of the
sprayer housing 14 defined by the first section of the discharge passage 46
and the
liquid supply passage 42. The valve member is positioned in the sprayer
housing as
shown in Figure 2 with the large exterior diameter portion 126 of the valve
member
base engaging against the annular interior surface 62 of the continuous
passage.
This positions the valve member base 124 between the pump chamber inlet
passage
56 and the pump chamber outlet passage 58. In this position the valve member
base
124 separates and seals the liquid supply passage 42 from the liquid discharge
passage first section 46. In addition, the sleeve valve 132 is positioned in
the liquid
passage first section 46 adjacent the pump chamber outlet passage 58 and
engaging
in sealing engagement with the small interior diameter portion 74 of the
discharge
passage first section. The stem 134 of the valve member positions the disk
valve
136 in the supply passage 42 below the pump chamber inlet passage 56.
The valve seat insert 28 shown in Figure 5 has a cylindrical interior bore 138
that extends entirely through the insert. The dip tube 32 is inserted into the
bore 138
at the bottom of the insert and the dip tube 32 and the insert interior bore
138 form a
portion of the liquid supply passage leading to the pump chamber inlet passage
56.
A center column 142 is positioned in the center of the valve seat insert
interior bore
138 by four flanges 144 spatially arranged around the center column 142. Open
channels 146 are provided between the flanges 144. A circular valve seating
surface
148 extends around the open channels 146. The circular valve seating surface
148
rises slightly above the end of the center column 142 and the four flanges 144
as can
best be seen in Figure 2. A cylindrical exterior surface 152 of the valve seat
insert 28
is provided with an outwardly projecting tab 154.
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As shown in Figure 2, the valve seat insert 28 is assembled into the sprayer
housing 14 by being inserted upwardly through the liquid supply passage 42
from the
bottom of the sprayer housing. The insert 28 is inserted after the valve
member 26
has been assembled into the sprayer housing 14. The insert 28 is pushed
upwardly
through the liquid supply passage 42 until the projecting tab 154 on the
insert exterior
surface engages in the vent chamber opening in the vent passage 64. This
secures
the valve seat insert 28 in the liquid supply passage 42. In this position of
the valve
seat insert 28 the center column 42 of the insert engages against the center
of the
disk valve 136 and the circular seating surface 148 of the insert engages
against a
peripheral portion of the disk valve 136 and pushes the disk valve peripheral
portion
slightly upwardly as shown in Figure 2. This provides a sealing engagement
between the insert circular seating surface 148 and the peripheral portion of
the disk
valve 136.
In the operation of the trigger sprayer 12 when the pump chamber 38 has not
yet been primed with liquid and air fills the chamber, manually squeezing the
trigger
16 toward the sprayer housing 14 compresses the air in the pump chamber 38.
The
compressed air is communicated through the pump chamber outlet passage 58 to
the exterior surface of the sleeve valve 132. This causes the sleeve valve 132
to
move away from its sealing engagement with the small interior diameter portion
74 of
the discharge passage first section opening the discharge passage. The air
from the
pump chamber is pumped through the discharge passage and is dispensed from the
trigger sprayer through the discharge nozzle 18. The pressure created in the
pump
chamber 38 causes the peripheral portion of the disk valve 136 to seat against
the
circular seating surface 148 of the valve seat insert 28 preventing the
compressed air
from being pumped downward through the dip tube 32 and into the liquid
container
attached to the trigger sprayer.
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On manually releasing the trigger 16 the trigger spring arms 108 push the
trigger away from the sprayer housing 14. This movement of the trigger pulls
the
pump piston 102 outwardly through the pump chamber 38 toward its charge
position
relative to the pump chamber. The removal of the fluid pressure on the
exterior
surface of the sleeve valve 132 causes the resilient sleeve valve to move into
sealing
engagement with the small interior diameter portion 74 of the discharge
passage first
section. This creates a vacuum in the pump chamber 38 that pulls the
peripheral
portion of the disk valve 136 out of engagement with the circular seating
surface 148
of the valve seat insert 28 and draws liquid from the container up through the
dip
tube 32 and the liquid supply passage 42 into the interior of the pump chamber
38.
By subsequent manual squeezing of the trigger 16 toward the sprayer housing 14
the
liquid in the pump chamber 38 is forced through the pump chamber outlet
passage
58 displacing the sleeve valve 32 from its sealing engagement with the small
interior
diameter portion 74 of the discharge passage first section and forcing the
liquid
through the discharge passage to be dispensed from the discharge nozzle 18.
The construction of the valve member 26 with a sleeve valve 132 and disk
valve 136 on a single component part of the trigger sprayer 12, and the
construction
of the liquid discharge passage 46 and liquid supply passage 42 as a single
continuous passage in the sprayer housing 14 into which the valve member 26 is
inserted enables the trigger sprayer 12 to be constructed of only eight
separate
component parts. The reduction in the total number of component parts needed
to
assemble the trigger sprayer reduces its manufacturing costs.
Although only one embodiment of the trigger sprayer of the invention has
been described above, it should be understood that other modifications and
variations could be made to the trigger sprayer without departing from the
scope of
the invention defined by the following claims.
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